Page 7 of Designs on You

CHAPTER FOUR

Since Eugene had made a cash offer, the closing had come about fast, which had been one of his requirements to buy the house. Fortunately, the couple who owned the house had already moved out, so the entire transaction had been conducted in a matter of a few weeks.

Now, as he walked through the house, he couldn’t believe he owned it.

He’d never minded condo living. Back in California it had suited his purposes. He’d often worked late nights and weekends at the office where he had state-of-the-art equipment. This was a different situation.

Not that the facility here didn’t have its own awesome setup for their designers. They did. He had an office, a full staff, and all the state-of-the-art design gadgetry he could ever wish for. But this time he wanted separation, some space to create on his own without the constant buzz of people coming and going. Having his home office—one that was soundproof so he could play the explosions and noises at the appropriate decibel level the audience would need—was key.

He’d have to live in his rental house until Linc finished renovations, but his brother had walked through it with him before he signed the papers and told him the place was in good shape and would only need the cosmetic changes. Though he suggested they do a few upgrades to the air-conditioning and electrical, which Eugene had agreed was a good idea.

Linc had told him if he did it himself, it would take a few months, otherwise he could hire a crew to cut down on the timeline, but it would cost Eugene more money. Eugene didn’t care about the money. He was ready to move in, so Linc told him they’d be ready to start as soon as Eugene got the keys.

Now all he had to do was get Natalie on board. She’d had to bail on the design walk-through before he bought the house, but Linc assured him she was the best. And seeing her design touches on Linc and Hazel’s house showed him she knew her stuff.

Speaking of Natalie, he heard a soft knock on the door, and he smiled as he took a quick glance at his watch. She was definitely prompt.

“It’s open,” he yelled, and she turned the knob and walked in.

“You should lock your doors,” she said.

“Why? You planning to burgle? Because there’s nothing in here.”

She laid a couple of bags at his feet. “No. Just something to consider for the future.”

“Not a safe neighborhood?”

“Honey, no place is safe anymore. But as far as neighborhoods, this is one of the better ones. We all watch out for each other.”

“Good to know.” He liked that she called him “honey.” Also, she held his gaze for a beat, and he sure didn’t mind staring into her beautiful green eyes. There was something liquidy and mesmerizing about them, as if she held secrets of the universe or something.

Dude. You’ve created way too many fantasy games.

His mind was not wrong about that.

“Anyway, this is my house. Care for a tour?”

“Actually, I’d like to look around on my own, if you don’t mind.”

He shoved his hands in his jeans pockets. “Sure. Go ahead.”

He followed a few steps behind while she wandered, her iPad in hand. She pivoted, taking a full two minutes to stare at the living room before moving to the kitchen. She looked around, made a sound of disgust and headed outside.

“You know, I thought out here we could—”

She raised a palm to stop him. “Not now. Why don’t you wait out here while I finish my tour?”

“Uh…sure.”

She wandered inside, so he pulled up one of the lawn chairs he’d bought at the discount store and checked his work emails. The team was already up and running, so all he had to do at the moment was approve their design notes. He’d sent preliminary schemes and drawings to them last week regarding the game setup. Normally he dealt in the virtual world, and while to some extent that would still be true, this was his first foray into bringing the virtual into reality.

Overwhelming? Hell yeah. But he couldn’t imagine anythingmore exciting. Creating games was one thing. A ride? It was like a dream come true.

Natalie came down the stairs. “Okay, here’s what I think. I don’t know what you and Linc have discussed renovations-wise, but I have a few ideas if you’d like to hear them.”

He granted her a half smile, very interested in what she had to say. Would her ideas be the same as his or would they be complete bullshit? “I’m all ears.”

“The kitchen is a gut job. But it’s a good size. Plenty big enough to put in an island for added seating and prep space, providing that appeals to you. Also, it’s closed off from the rest of the house.” She pointed to the wall that he’d absolutely hated the first time he walked through. “We should lose this wall, open things up.”